OMD Arabia has bagged the US$10 million media planning and buying account of Saudi Arabian FMCG giant Savola.
Savola has consolidated its media business with OMD after the agency took responsibility for its United Sugar Company brands last year. Its oil business, which includes brands Afia, Al-Arabi, O’lite and Shams, had previously been managed by Starcom, but the agency lost the contract to OMD in a pitch late last year, Campaign understands.
“After six years with our previous agency, we felt it was time to see if we could improve the way we communicated in media,” said Marwan Zawawi, head of marketing at Savola Edible Oil Company. “During the pitching process, OMD clearly demonstrated their ability to capitalise on insights and, with a strong dose of imagination, provide us with a substantial return on our media investments.”
Elie Khouri, regional managing director of Omnicom Media Group, the holding company of OMD, said “Savola, a household name in the Kingdom and the region, is a fabulous addition to our portfolio in Saudi Arabia.”
“We’re very proud of our team there since this extension of our assignment from Savola is an obvious validation of the work we’ve been doing on United Sugar Company brands.”Figures for 2005 show that Savola invested more than US$10 million in its oil and sugar brands last year in both Saudi and pan-Arab media.
Walid Awad, marketing director of Savola’s sugar division, said OMD’s ability to exceed expectations was a major factor in consolidating Savola’s account with OMD.
Follow us on
